Begin Again
by FireAndFury
Summary: "This time it would be different, they'd make sure of that. No more lies. No more secrets. Just a new beginning." Set directly after Lost and Found. Definitely JIBBS. Probably could've been rated K plus but again... panic.


**A.N. Hello humans! I know I posted last week but it was rather depressing... So I've written this little oneshot to make up for it! To those who favorited/followed/reviewed, y'all are amazing! This is set directly after episode 5.9 _Lost and Found_. Thanks goes out to _pockethuman_ for beta reading this and putting up with my NCIS obsession. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, Jenny wouldn't be dead so clearly, I don't own it. I also don't own _Rooster Cogburn,_ but it is one of my favorite movies.**

 _This is a bad idea..._ she thought to herself. Jenny stood in front of the door of her gunmetal Chrysler leaning back against it. She'd ditched her security detail a while ago, leading them to believe she had opted for a quiet night in her brownstone with a good book. Instead, she had the wise idea to buy groceries and show up at her former partner's home without so much as a warning. Her heels shuffled anxiously against the rough concrete and she adjusted the bags in her hands. _Come on, Shepard. The worst he can do is slam the door in your face. There's no harm in trying_. She drew her shoulders back and walked confidently up the sidewalk, knocked on the front door, and waited. _Maybe he doesn't want to see you after last night... he did turn you down... maybe it'd be better if you just left him alone_. A small frown graced her features and she began to walk back to her car.

Just as she was about to open the passenger side, she heard the creaking of wooden planks and the click of a door.

"Playing ding-dong-ditch, Director?"

She turned around and felt her cheeks burn at being caught. "No, Special Agent Gibbs. You didn't answer your door."

The silver fox shot her a confused look and leaned against the porch railing. "Door's always unlocked. You know that."

"Maybe this time I wanted to give you the opportunity to choose whether or not you wanted company instead of just barging in."

He eyed her critically. "Is this business or personal?"

"Can't a girl just have dinner with her old partner?"

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and looked up at him with ill-concealed hope as she rocked slightly on the balls of her feet.

His gaze softened at her nervousness and he gave her a faint smirk. Turning on his heel, he strode purposefully back into the house holding door open for her.

"Ya coming?"

A brilliant smile lit her face as she followed him inside. He carefully took the grocery bags from her hands and set them on the kitchen table while she proceeded to remove her heels, purse, and tan leather jacket, leaving her in a pair of old fitted jeans and navy blue sweater. She grabbed the hair tie around her wrist and put it in between her teeth before tying up her copper strands into a messy ponytail.

Gibbs looked through the plastic bags, eying them warily.

"This isn't take out..."

She walked up and began to dig through the bags herself, setting out the box of uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, and chicken.

"I know that."

"You planning on cooking?"

"No, I thought we'd get food poisoning from eating raw meat. Of course I'm planning on cooking."

He cringed. "You can't cook to save your life."

"Can too." She bit back stubbornly.

"Serbia."

"That was one time!"

"You almost burned down the building! The house was so full of smoke that we had to sleep outside that night!"

"Well that wasn't so horrible, was it?"

He resisted the urge to remove the smug smirk from her lips, memories of that particular night rushing to the forefront of his mind. Instead, he walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a pot and pan and placed them on the stove.

"I'll take care of the chicken. You handle the pasta." He grumbled while she just gave him a triumphant grin.

* * *

Somehow they managed not to burn anything and the impromptu dinner was actually sort of decent. They sat at the kitchen table in an awkward silence, both concentrating on the meal in front of them and trying to figure out how to bring up some form of conversation. Gibbs eventually set down his fork and just stared at the redhead.

"Why are you here, Jen?"

She paused, her eyes refusing to meet his. The grip on her silverware, as well as her breathing, had increased. She set down the utensils, looked down at her lap, and tried to control her fidgeting hands.

"I've missed that."

She mumbled so softly that he had to strain to hear her. He lifted her chin gently with his finger, forcing her to make eye contact. His bewildered gaze met her slightly watery one and she immediately looked away.

"What do you mean?"

She played with the hem of her sleeves and bit her lip.

"You. Calling me 'Jen'. You're the only one who's ever called me that. You don't do it anymore." She braved a glance at him. "I've missed it."

Gibbs met her statement with silence. Getting up from the table, he walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and two chipped coffee mugs. Pouring a generous amount into each, he silently moved to stand behind her. He placed one of the mugs in front of her and drank a good amount of the burning liquid from his own before setting it behind him on the counter. He placed his calloused hands on her shoulders and rubbed her upper arms almost soothingly.

"I've missed it too."

She looked up at him questioningly and he paused his movements.

"I wasn't sure where we stood. One minute we were acting like we were partners again and the next you were shutting me out. That frog hunt almost destroyed you." He sighed heavily. "You were replaced by someone who was vengeful, cold, and reckless. My partner was never like that. The woman I fell in love with was never like that. I wasn't going to associate the 'Jen' I knew with the woman you became."

He felt her shoulders shake as she lifted a hand to cover her mouth, tears pouring silently down her porcelain face.

"I'm sorry."

Her apology was muffled by her hand but he heard it all the same. He didn't even bother to recite rule six to her. Instead, his hands resumed caressing her shoulders.

"I'm just glad that you're back."

She offered him a watery smile. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

His lips twitched upwards. He gently placed a small kiss to her forehead and her eyes closed at the contact.

"Yeah, Jen."

She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was lighter than she'd been in ages and she couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped her lips.

He smiled fondly at the sound of her laughter. She looked up at him, biting her lip hesitantly.

"What is it?"

Her finger ran around the outer rim of the coffee cup in front of her. "I brought a movie to watch on my laptop... if you want to anyway. I know it's not what you probably had planned tonight."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up out of her seat before walking into the living room, bringing a stunned redhead behind him. He sat down on the couch and looked up at her expectantly.

"So... what are we watching?"

Still mildly bewildered, Jenny walked back to her bag and pulled out her laptop. Setting it on the coffee table, she began to pull up the film.

" _Rooster Cogburn_. You always did remind me of the Duke and I thought you might like it."

He smiled at her simple explanation and patted the spot next to him. She gingerly sat down where he indicated and he threw an arm around her shoulders bringing her closer. She felt a blush grace her cheeks once more but she didn't really care.

The movie started to play and Gibbs couldn't help but question the characters.

"If I remind you of the Duke, does that make you Miss Goodnight?"

"How do you figure that?"

"Gee... let me think. Her father is murdered by a band of outlaws, one with the nickname of a mammal, and she decides to go after her father's killer with a U.S. Marshal. She constantly nags Rooster about his drinking habits, picks fights with him, and is quite the strong headed woman. I'd say it's a pretty clear match."

She smirked at him. "Well, then I'm honored. They just haven't had some sort of mysterious past with each other."

He tilted his head to her ear. " _Yet_..."

She delivered a swift elbow to his ribs.

* * *

They continued to watch the classic western, sitting in comfortable silence, before Gibbs opened his mouth once more.

"You never did answer my question." He whispered.

"Which one?"

"Why did you come here?"

She contemplated her answer for a moment.

"I guess I wanted to clear the air between us. I know how you are with child cases and I didn't feel like we had left things off in the best way when you came to check on Carson." She looked down guiltily. "I shouldn't've asked you to stay."

"Why did you?"

"I don't know. I guess seeing you with a child made me realize something. If I hadn't left, and we'd decided to start a family together, our kid would've been the same age Carson is. I didn't realize how much I'd given up to be in the position that I'm in and for what? A nameplate on a door and an empty house to come home to after a day of signing reports."

He stole a glance at her and noticed the resigned, heartbroken look on her face. Pressing his lips to her hair, he whispered barely loud enough for her to hear.

"I'm willing to start over if you are."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his before she pulled him down by the collar of his old t-shirt, her lips smashing onto his. He kissed her back hungrily, his hand going to her slim waist and his fingers tangling into her crimson tresses, pulling out the hair tie. It'd been almost ten years but it was as if nothing had changed. Eventually, the need for air became too strong and they gently broke apart, breathing heavily.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Jenny was till snuggled into Jethro's arms when the end credits began to roll. She felt his breathing even out and looked up. His eyes were closed, mouth parted slightly, and the lines on his face seemed to disappear making him look ten years younger. She slowly moved to get up and tried to locate her shoes when she felt a hand slip under her sweater, around her waist, and gently tug her back down.

"Stay?" He whispered, his voice laced with sleep and his eyes still closed.

She debated with herself for a moment. They had both agreed during the movie to take this slow so going home probably would've been the logical choice.

But she was tired of being logical.

She nodded slowly and leaned against his side once more breathing in his comforting scent, already feeling her eyes beginning to droop.

He suddenly shifted so he was lying down completely and managed to startle her. She landed with an undignified 'oof' on his chest and glanced up to see him smirking. She playfully glared at him before sliding off to the side, still halfway on top of him, with her back pressed into the sofa. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her securely to him, while his right hand created lazy circles between her shoulder blades. She placed one hand on his chest and neatly tucked her head under his chin, using his shoulder as a pillow. He grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch to lay over the both of them. She nestled further into the warmth and let out a content sigh as her eyes slipped closed. Slipping into the tantalizing sensation of unconsciousness, she felt a soft kiss being placed to her forehead.

"G'night Jen."

* * *

She wasn't sure how it happened. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat. Not this. Somehow in the middle of the night, she had completely rolled over to his other side, no longer using his shoulder as a pillow. She tried to get up but found her movements restricted by a tanned arm wrapped around her waist. She was then acutely aware of the rise and fall of his chest pressed against her back, his warm breath against her neck, and the fact that her head was resting on his bicep, their fingers interlocked and hanging slightly off of the couch cushion.

She smiled and realized that even in their subconscious they managed to remember the practically forgotten sleeping position they'd often woken up in during their op overseas.

She felt his breathing become uneven, signaling that he was awake. He pressed a light kiss to the back of her head before nuzzling her neck softly.

"'Morning, Jen."

She turned her head slightly and raised the hand that wasn't intertwined with his up to run her fingers lightly through the hair on the back of his scalp, scratching it slightly and causing it to stick up more than it already was.

"Mmmm... good morning. Sleep okay?"

He smiled at her lazily and brushed his lips over her cheek before pulling her a little more tightly to him and burying his nose in her sleep-mused hair.

"Better than I have in years."

She looked at their fingers woven together once more and smiled shyly, a light blush painting her usually pale cheeks. It was a familiar feeling yet oddly different. No undercover ops, no fake names, heck, not even special agent and director. Just Jenny and Jethro.

Jenny turned suddenly so she was facing him, her content viridescent gaze meeting his sleepy cerulean. She placed her slender hands on his chest, their jean-clad legs becoming tangled, and delivered a soft kiss to the taut skin of his jaw. She nudged his chin slightly and pressed her nose to his neck, tucking her head under his and burrowing further into his embrace. He felt her smile against his skin while his fingers lightly danced through her flaming tresses, his warm palm resting on her back.

This time it would be different, they'd make sure of that. No more lies. No more secrets. Just a new beginning.

* * *

 **A.N. Thanks for reading! Reviews? Pretty please?**


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